"We do not believe these employees harmed, or intended to harm, anyone. But we deplore the impressions this has caused to our customers, fans, franchisees, and team members. The behavior is unacceptable for people working in a restaurant. Our franchisee is responsible for the employment and conduct of his restaurant’s employees and he has informed us that he immediately suspended the employee shown in the photo and is in the process of terminating his employment. "

According to the release, the taco shells in the photo were not served to customers. The shells were reportedly being used for training purposes and were in the process of being thrown out.

"Two employees, however, used them to take a photo for an internal contest in which company and franchise employees could submit for approval photos of themselves enjoying their first bite of the product," said the release. "This image was clearly unacceptable -- it violated the rules and spirit of the contest, and the employees never submitted it."

The Irvine-based company added that an investigation was launched as soon as the franchise learned of the situation. They claimed Taco Bell has strict food handling procedures and that they have zero tolerance for violations.

According to the release, the restaurant will continue to investigate the matter as they work with the franchise to implement any additional action necessary to prevent this sort of incident from happening in the future.

United Press International is a leading provider of news, photos and information to millions of readers around the globe via UPI.com and its licensing services.

With a history of reliable reporting dating back to 1907, today's UPI is a credible source for the most important stories of the day, continually updated - a one-stop site for U.S. and world news, as well as entertainment, trends, science, health and stunning photography. UPI also provides insightful reports on key topics of geopolitical importance, including energy and security.

A Spanish version of the site reaches millions of readers in Latin America and beyond.

UPI was founded in 1907 by E.W. Scripps as the United Press (UP). It became known as UPI after a merger with the International News Service in 1958, which was founded in 1909 by William Randolph Hearst. Today, UPI is owned by News World Communications.